What is Sorcery - Experience the Freedom

Author:Alysa Braceau, Dreamshield

Being initiated into the sorcererís world I am asked from time to time, ďWhat is sorcery all about?Ē Well let me first explain that it has nothing to do with Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, or the Netherworld. It also doesnít have anything to do with spirit possession, terrifying manipulation, strangers in the dark or black magic. What is Sorcery then?

Most people are familiar with the work of Carlos Castaneda and his wildly popular works full of fascinating extraordinary visions and intense and terrifying experiences. The debate as to whether the experiences in his books are fact or fiction continues to this day. Carlos Castaneda described the first line of knowledge, coming from the Toltecs and Aztecs. The tradition of the first line uses fear and terror as a teaching method. My dreaming teacher Running Deer aka Vidar explained to me when we first met there is also a second line in which he has been raised. Originally there was only one sorcererís line, but because hunters covered great distances during the ice age, and due to the origination of land bridges, this original line split into two tribes. The second line is the North American tradition, the way of monumental beauty.

Shifting Your perception

Now you understand there are various ways of the sorcerer, the first line and the second line. For a sorcerer in both traditions, reality or the world we all seem to know, is only a description, an interpretation.Sorcerer, man of knowledge, witch, brujo, shaman. What about the term or the definition of the word sorcerer. Letís start with this: in these traditions you do not relate or define yourself or your surroundings. You will understand this better when I explain more about the assemblage point. We speak about moving the assemblage point in order to shift your perception. Itís the assemblage point of totality which people of knowledge shift in order to reach totality. The assemblage point is the place where all lines of intent come together, it is the ultimate place of perception. Call it a concentrated sense of perception. And it is usually, but not necessarily located at the height of the shoulder blades. The assemblage point should be flexible. For example children donít perceive the world as fixed as we do. As soon as you start to learn and understand the meaning of words, the assemblage point starts to fixate more and more. The more definitions, the more solid your assemblage point. In the course of years, a child becomes more and more fixated on the definition of this reality, and when you become fixated you lose your totality. People of knowledge or shamans seize every opportunity to shift their own assemblage point or someone elseís through words, a gesture, music, love, but in the end you purposefully set it in motion with the arts of totality.The Art of Dreaming is one of the teachings of Totality in the Native American sorcererís tradition I write about. Running Deer explained there are four practices that guide the apprentice into the totality: the art of dreaming, stalking, hunting and the art of the warrior. He said gradually you will learn to master all of them, but because you are a dreamer the art of mastering lucid dreaming (dreaming while being aware that you are dreaming) is the most important one for you to reach totality. And if you reach totality you truly experience that you are the creator of this reality. To reach this point I was taught in the beginning of my apprenticeship it is important to confront yourself with bad dreams and nightmares, to look right through them, and then they will change into images of beauty. Unpleasant dreams disappear when you look right through them. Here the aspect of the healing of yourself comes along in this tradition.

Be the Creator of Your Life instead of Waiting

During my initiation into the sorcererís world I discovered more about the purpose of the Art of Dreaming. It is about freedom of perception. To be free from perception, you have to face your spiritual, physical and emotional blocks and work to release them. One of the techniques I learned is The Healing of Your Inner Child, to heal yourself from fears and traumas. Releasing blocks gives one (you) the chance to become a totally free person and the more you experience that, the more you experience and discover that you can be the creator of your life instead of waiting and be a victim of circumstances. One of the most important things I experienced in this tradition is love and appreciation for myself (for yourself) are the keys.

Entering the boundless unknown

Almost everyone can learn how to lucid dream with the techniques I learned during my apprenticeship. There is also a step beyond: if you want to enter the boundless unknown, therefore you first have to master your dreams.During my initiation one of the steps was to take magic mushrooms in a dreaming ceremony. The mushroom is the outward appearance of the entity and I was fortunate to meet the entity MateeŽ. MateeŽ is a signpost into the second reality and a cosmic relative. Running Deer told me somewhere in the beginning of my apprenticeship that MateeŽ would guide me to the unknown; he teaches how to shift your assemblage point. The characteristics of the entity are cosmic love, humor and beauty, he teaches you that this reality is not the only one. ďThe encounter with MateeŽ will give you intellectual freedom,Ē Running Deer once said ďand thatís the opposite of the intellectual arrogance of mankind who claims the door is over there.ĒHowever, you have to be ready to meet the entity, to be guided into the unknown. It can be very dangerous if you donít have someone to teach and to guide you because you are challenged and confronted with your fears.

Traveling into the boundless unknown, I was confronted with my fears. The experience taught me I had to get rid of my fears and heal myself from my traumas in order to live my life in harmony and freedom.

Healing the Dark Places

Another question that comes along is, ďWhat would you say makes you different than a witch or a wiccan?Ē Well, depending of the meaning or definition you give to the word witch you could probably call a sorceress a witch. Wicca is a religion with its own rituals and ceremonies. Sorcery is about mastering the first everyday reality and the boundless second reality of creativity and dreaming along with the ability to separate the realities. A sorcerer is busy enlightening the whole universe and healing the dark places with their intention.

About the author:
Alysa Braceau, Dreamshield lives in the Netherlands (Europe), she is mother of a 7-year old daughter. She studied social legal studies and the past ten years she is a (freelance) journalist and publisher. Besides that she has a healing practice and gives workshops about the Art of Dreaming.Alysa Braceau is author of The Sorcererís Dream. The themes of the past years have been the sorcererís tradition and mastering lucid dreaming.